Southerners Arguing Against The Confederate Flag

In a new video from BuzzFeed, Southerners explain why the Confederate flag should be abolished. Debate about the flag erupted in the wake of the mass shooting at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston last week that left nine people dead. When images surfaced of alleged shooter Dylann Roof posing with the Confederate flag and other racist iconography—suggesting that the killings were racially motivated—many were outraged that that same flag continued to fly over the South Carolina state capitol. In the days since, politicians, activists, and people across social media have called for the flag’s removal from government grounds, as well as for a general reconsideration of the legitimacy of the Confederate flag as a cultural symbol. South Carolina governor Nikki Haley has urged state legislators to remove the flag, while Alabama governor Robert Bentley has already had the flag taken down from the Alabama state capitol grounds.

These events, along with Walmart, Amazon, and eBay’s announcements that they will no longer sell Confederate flag-themed merchandise, have unsurprisingly caused a backlash from Confederate flag supporters, who argue that these bans infringe upon their rights, and that the flag is a symbol of heritage, rather than racism. It’s important to realize, however, that these sentiments are certainly not universal among people from the South. In a BuzzFeed video posted yesterday, people hailing from Kentucky, Virginia, Louisiana, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Florida discuss their experiences with the Confederate flag growing up and what the flag meant for them.

One person’s comment highlights the fact that being proud of one’s Southern roots and supporting the Confederate flag are not the same: You can have one without the other. He says, “I’m really proud to be from the South, but the Confederate flag is embarrassing to me.”

Images: Getty Images; YouTube(3)